Flexible racing horseshoe



Dec. 23, 1952 E. A. DIXON FLEXIBLE RACING HORSESHOE Filed March 24, 1950 IN VENTOR H. DIXON E'uawqmw BY %w A ORNEY Patented Dec. 23, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide a new and improved shoe for racing horses having as its greatest features, flexibility both in its own plane and normal thereto, such flexibility being limited, however, so that the shoe afford-s perfectly adequate support and protection to the hoof while nevertheless conforming to the hoof and its changes of contour while running, whereby to avoid any cramping of the hoof.

The above and other objects will be made clear from the following detailed description taken in connection with the annexed drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the earth contacting surface of the improved shoe;

Figure 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig ure 1;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the toe plate.

The hooves of a racing horse undergo terrific impact. If the hooves were unshod there would be a considerable lateral expansion while the hooves are in contact with the ground followed by an equivalent lateral contraction as the hooves O are lifted. This expansion and contraction is at a minimum at the toe and at a maximum at the heel. The conventional rigid shoe restrains the hoof and in so doing produces strain which in time leads to lameness. At the same time it is quite impossible for any blacksmith to file a horses hoof to an absolutely level condition, yet the conventional rigid shoe has a dead level hoof contacting surface. This means that the nails, in drawing the hoof into firm contact with the shoe, actually distort the hoof, producing additional strain. These strains probably have little or no effect on ordinary work animals, but under the extreme stress of racing, the strains very materially shorten the useful racing life of the horse. The present invention provides a shoe in which the legs have a reasonable flexibility in the plane of the shoe to accommodate the expansion and contraction of the hoof incident to impact while running. These legs have a further degree of flexibility normal to the plane of the shoe whereby to permit the shoe at least to share the distortion incident to nailing the shoe int conformity with the hoof. The result is a shoe which will follow the normal distortions of the hoof, but which nevertheless will limit such distortions to a safe extent.

Referring now to Figure 1, there is shown the earth contacting side of the improved horse shoe. The hoof contacting side is formed by a flat sheet 2 metal base member it in which is formed the usual nail holes [2 to It on the left side and 26 to 26 on the right side. The sheet metal base is preferably formed of aluminum strip or other light weight metal or alloy. A thickness of about e' e of an inch is recommended.

On the left side the metal of the base II] is turned up to form a short flange 28 adjacent the nail hole l2. A similar flange 36 runs between the nail holes i2 and I4 and another flange 32 runs between the nail holes M and it. At the free end of the left side a flange 34 runs from the hole it past the hole l8 around the end and terminates at point 36 between the nail holes l8 and it on the inner edge of the shoe. At the toe end, on the inner side, a short flange 38 is formed adjacent the nail hole l2.

On the right hand side a flange 40 corresponds to flange 28 while flanges 42, M and 46 correspond to the left side flanges 33, 32 and 34, respectively. An inner flange "8 on the right hand side corresponds to the flange 38 on the left hand side.

A toe cleat 5B is best shown in Figure 4 and comprises an arcuate base plate 52 and a curved, upright member 54. The base plate is notched at 56 and contains rivet holes 58. The notch 56 is intended to register with a gap (in between inner flanges 38 and is. The toe cleat 5D is riveted to the base member ID with the cleat portion 54 lying between outer flanges 28 and 4E). The cleat 50 is formed of hard metal such as case hardened steel.

When the toe cleat 50 has been riveted to the base member Ill the assembly is placed in a special molding and vulcanizing press which applies bodies of rubber, preferably of the tread grade, which bodies will now be described. One such body 62 is applied at the toe end of the shoe and at one end extends substantially to the ends of flanges 23 and 38 and at the other end to the ends of the flanges 40 and 48 and is confined on one side by flanges 38 and 48 and at the other side by the flanges 28 and 40 and the cleat portion 54 of the toe cleat 50. The rubber body 62 is higher than any of the flanges but is lower than the cleat portion 54. This relationship is best shown in Figure 2. It will be noted that there is no sharp edge of metal between the edge of the upright member 54 and the flange 5B. This means that there is no area of concentrated wear and, further, it permits a faster breakingover action of the hoof. Breaking-over action takes place as the toe of the hoof turns over in the stride.

On the left side of the shoe there is formed another rubber body 64 coincident in length with the flange 30, a body 66 coincident in length with the flange 32, a body 68 extending between but clear of the nail holes 16 and I8 and a body 1'0 running from adjacent the nail hole l8 to the end of the shoe. On the right hand side, rubber bodies 72, M, 76 and 18 correspond respectively to the bodies 64, 66, 68 and of the left hand side. The result is to supply a plurality of separated rubber treads between which the nails may enter the various nail holes with the nail heads seating squarely on the metal surface of the base member [0.

The gaps between flange 28, 30, 32 and 34 on the left hand side, together with the long'gap between point 36 of flange 34 and the extremity of flange 38, contribute to flexibility of that side of the shoe in a direction normal to the plane of the base member 19. This effect is duplicated by the gaps between the various flanges on the right hand side. The gap 60 between flanges '38 and 48 coacts with the notch 56 in the base 52 of the toe cleat 58 to facilitate deflection of the legs of the horse shoe toward and from each other in the plane of the base member 19. It will be clear, therefore, that the structure just described accomplishes the objects of the invention as set out above.

The notch 56 in particular enables the use of very hard, resilientmetal in the toe cleat. Without the notch, it would be impossible to cold forge the shoe to make it fit any particular hoof. With the notch, it is not only possible to do cold forging, but the very springy steel of the portion 54 aids in the expansion and contraction of the legs of the shoe to a degree which would be impossible for the light metal base member alone.

When it is desired to use special caulks at the ends of the legs, the rubber bodies 10 and IBmay be shortened or eliminated to permit securement of the caulks directly to the metal.

It will be understood that the particular example illustrated is susceptible of considerable modification without departure from the inventive concept herein disclosed. For example the toe cleat could be welded instead of riveted to the base member or bosses could be forgedin the base member, during manufacture, and riveted into the holes of the cleat member; and the cross-sectional form of the rubber bodies could be changed. It is not intended, therefore, that this invention shall be limited to the precise details disclosed but only as set forth in the subjoined claims, which are to be broadly construed.

I claim:

1. A horseshoe comprising: a fiat, thin, light metal strip in U-formation shaped to conform to the outer periphery of the horses hoof; said strip having the usual nail holes formed therein; a toe cleat formed of heavy, hard resilient sheet metal and having a flat integral base plate secured to said strip and centered on the toe end thereof; said base plate having a central notch extending from its free edge to the cleat portion; said strip having integral upstanding flanges adjacent and parallel to the free edge of said base plate; said flanges being separated at the mouth of said central notch; said notch and the separation of said flanges facilitating flexing of the legs of the shoe toward and from each other; and a body of rubber between said flanges and said cleat and overlying said base portion; said rubber extending above the flanges, but below the cleat.

2. A horseshoe as set forth in claim 1, including separated bodies of rubber equal in height to the first named body secured to said strip intermediate and clear of said nail holes.

3. A horseshoe as set forth in claim 6, including spaced upstanding flanges on said strip adjacent, the outer sides, at least, of said separated bodies of rubber.

4. A horseshoe comprising: a flat, thin, light metal strip in U-formation shaped to conform to the outer periphery of the horses hoof; .said strip having the usual nail holes formed therein; a toe cleat formed of heavy, hard resilient sheet metal and having a flat integral base plate secured to said strip and centered on the toe end thereof; said base plate having a central notch extending from its free edge to the cleat portion; said strip having an integral upstanding inner flange adjacent and parallel to the free edge of said base plate; said notch facilitating flexing of the legs of the shoe toward and from each other; and a body of rubber between said flange and said cleat and overlying said base portion; said rubber extending above the flange, but below the cleat; said strip having spaced outer flanges extending between nail'holes, and additional separate bodies of rubber of a height equal to that of the firstmentioned body of rubber secured to said strip between nail holes and being supported by said flanges against outward expansion.

ELLSWORTH A. DIXON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 314,583 Johnson Mar. 31, 1885 465,674 Miller Dec. 22, 1891 589,488 Wiesenfeld Sept. 7, 1897 594,982 Carey Dec, 7, 1897 627,691 .Higgins June 27, 1899 839,432 Smith Dec. 25, 1906 861,698 Baris July 30, 1907 957,691 Limbach May 10, 1910 1,951,700 Liepman Mar. 20, 1934 

